Mikel Arteta says there are a number of factors he and technical director Edu will take into consideration before committing to a January signing.
The transfer window opens for English clubs tomorrow and Arsenal are tipped to add to their midfield options assuming a couple of non-homegrown players can be moved on.
The Gunners have already confirmed that left-back Sead Kolasinac will spend the second half of the season on loan at Schalke – a move that frees a place in the Europa League squad for Gabriel Martinelli – and the boss is hoping for more quick business knowing mid-season signings need time to adapt to their new surroundings.
That said, he won’t commit funds unless a target ticks enough boxes.
“For all managers, the quicker you do the business the better because it buys you time,” said Arteta ahead of Saturday’s game with West Brom.
“Every player is going to need time to adapt. It’s about the qualities this player is bringing; what is the past of the player, has he been in a different country, has he played in the Premier League, does he speak the language, does he get familiar to certain styles of play?
“There are a lot of conditions, in my opinion, that can affect whether a player can straightaway have an impact or not in a team.
“For me, they are really key things to consider before making any steps to bring in anybody in January.”
It remains to be seen who Arsenal move for this month although Real Madrid’s Spain international Isco is thought to be an option.
Isco out!
A successful window would be if we resolve the Saliba situation, get Balogun to sign a new deal and get Sokratis, Ozil, Mustafi off the books. Resolving Torreira’s situation would be a nice bonus.
That’s all ideal, sure. But we aren’t moving up the table with all this. We need new thrust and someone like early model Alexis Sanchez, Bernardo Silva or a late-model Ibra would be so, so welcome.
Those three you mentioned are exactly the kind of short termism transfers that have got us in this mess. We need completely the opposite, young hungry long term prospects who WANT to be at the club.
Alexei was freaking amazing for this club. If a few more people had his drive and Determination when he was at arsenal we’d be in better shape than we are. Problem was we didn’t invest around him at the time and he gave up on us, and then he got jose’d…
Well said
Dele Alli again an unused sub today. I can’t stand him, but he’s exactly the profile of player who’d do well for us. Playing under Poch, Spurs played with really aggressive full backs, and occasional wing backs, and had plenty of good delivery from the wide areas We’re trying something similar, Bellerin + Tierney are starting to take up some really good positions, but where they were aiming at Kane + Alli We’re aiming at Lacazette, Aubameyang, Nketiah, who are just getting eaten up by centre half’s None of Xhaka, Ceballos, Elneny go hunting in the box, they all want… Read more »
I would take Isco on loan with an option not to buy
But most importantly can he do it on a cold rainy night in stoke?
Given that he’s happily sat on the bench for 7 seasons, I’d say probably not…
I see you have your predictions in place for which league we’ll be playing in next season.
I dunno. Give it a few years and if Arteta stays in charge, Arsenal will probably be playing league games on a cold rainy night in Harlow Town.
Ozil . LANS ?
No way.
Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen mate. For Arteta, that would mean admitting he made a mistake. And when it comes to humility, he makes Mourinho look like Mother Theresa. For the Ozil Haters, it would also mean admitting they were wrong, despite the team’s pathetic position in the table and the likelihood that reinstating Ozil would not only freshen up this side and its creative options no end, but also restore some pride to the team, the way it plays and ensure our Premiership survival, in what has hitherto been a basket case of a season. One plumb on… Read more »
I have always been an Özil admirer but in this league and in our team, everyone has to put in a 110% shift. No doubting he xan find a killer pass every so often but he can’t tackle, press or track back with the intensity that’s needed. He, like Pepe, just dies not fit in this league. Crying shame but there it is….
And where has this ‘110% Shift’ got us, exactly…..?
Boring football and flirting with relegation.
Just for the record I saw him being very well suited to this league many times last season. We looked better when he played, then he got dropped for “football reasons” and we soon went however many hours it was without scoring from open play.
You are right, Ozil thrives in a certain setup which has been absent in the Arsenal teams of last three years either due to absence of key players or unwillingness to change shape or enforced style. We would love to watch him play one more time and give him a sending off he deserved. He joined us when he was on top of his game and showed his skills consistently. (His talent is chance creation which he displayed by being consistently the best of the lot by exceptional margin). What would I do to get the best out of him?… Read more »
Is that the singular noun of plumber?
*Plum
“For Arteta, that would mean admitting he made a mistake. And when it comes to humility, he makes Mourinho look like Mother Theresa.”
Strong candidate for one of the dumbest, weirdest things I’ve read on here.
Oh Christ!!!!! DUDE SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!
Blogs can we have this dude’s comments eternally removed from this site? His negativity is really starting to irritate me!!!!
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” Voltaire
Don’t waste your breath, J4H.
Voltaire wasn’t a facist, so Kendall Jefferson will have absolutely no idea who you’re talking about.
Thank goodness for the thumb down is all I can say!
And that is the third time you have told me shut up on here.
And for the third time, this is a free country and a democratic forum for opinion.
In other words, I’ve as much right to voice my opinion on here as you, or anybody else.
Telling the teacher. Always such a pussy move.
Keep doing your thing Qwaliteee. I admire your loyalty and passion, even if I do think Ozil is stealing a living!
Qwalitee doesn’t hold back but has added some much needed sanity to these pages in recent months, e.g when he predicted many times how well going into the season without Ozil would go
pls no isco. Get buendia and be done with it.
I can’t see Norwich selling him in january
its reported they will sell him for at least 15 mil
False economy – why would they sell one of their best players when they are top of the championship? If they win promotion it’s worth more than £15 million – besides he’s worth £45 million easy in today’s market.
There is no way anyone is paying 45M quid for buendia. I agree 15M Is a bit low. Maybe 20-30M could get it done? He’s definitely the guy I would want (since szsobolai is gone)… Buendia is quality. Isco in my opinion smacks of another overpaid, big club, big ego flop. If he was good enough and not a problem off the pitch he’d wouldn’t be on the outter at real. I’d rather stick it out with willock and ESR than turn to another mercenary like him.
Aside from Partey and Gabriel it seems like this criteria does not fit any player Edu has ‘signed’ since he has been here. Didn’t we get Cedric last Jan. To be fair Mari seems decent.
Mari does seem decent, but I’m not sold on his fitness yet. Wouldn’t mind seeing him get more confidence through a string of appearances. He’s still got time on his side.
Cedric is also decent. What wrong did he do? He hardly play. He was a good right back for Southampton for many seasons. Our fan base like to hate on players that did nothing wrong. Mari used to be hated just a few weeks ago.
Cedric is third choice rb and he was decent for Southampton but even they didn’t wanna extend his contract as they didn’t see a future in him.
Nothing against the man but this is a stupid signing on big wages for four years.
Sure, he “did nothing wrong,” but then again he’s done nothing right either, because, as you correctly point out, “he(‘s) hardly play(ed).” That means it wasn’t necessary to sign him, let alone for four years, let alone for 10,000 a week more than what Southampton had been paying him to be their starter. By the way, Southampton wanted to let him go and have been better since he left. BTW, I’ve been re-reading the infamous Edu piece and the Cedric segment is bizarre. First, it mentions that Arsenal paid a “negligible” fee to get him on loan (sources vary, but… Read more »
You don’t seem to know that teams need players on the bench who do not play regularly because injuries do happen. How can a player be instantaneously sharp if he doesn’t get game time?
Sure, but those players don’t need to be on long-term contracts worth 75,000 a month.
The problem with Cebric is that he blocks the path for someone better.
I don’t really have an issue with him as a player, but he’s not good enough to be a starter for Arsenal.
We shouldn’t be signing those types of players on four year contracts.
If he were signed for two years, I’d have absolutely no issues.
I mean, he scored on debut, and has been reliable and even quite good when he’s played. Which, as previously noted, hasn’t been that often. He adds depth for quite cheap. Not really sure what the problem is?
The problem is our 40%+/- fan base. As fans, they fall far below the performance levels of Cedric. Much more like a Gallas. Well intentioned, somewhat skilled but destroy teamwork and team building. Arsenal Fans… Skilled, and at times important…. but to often they slow the play, fail to move without the ball and refuse to press. They simply want to sit in the box, receive killer passes and score…. arrogant whiners.
Don’t understand the thin down. This is one of the best comments I’ve seen on here in ages. I mean it’s really funny
What extra would Isco bring over Torreira or Guendouzi as an example? We must remember we still have them on our books in central midfield.
I think that Arsenal and Artetas long term central midfield solution will still take another few windows to fix unfortunately. In fact, on reflection so will defence and attack.
Well he’s a completely different profile of player for a start.
You do realize that Isco and Torreira/Guendouzi are entirely different types of players, right?
He’s a creative midfielder who can find a pass, may compliment Partey
Well, shifting Kolasinac is a small start but that’s just scraping the surface if we’re really serious in reducing our bloated squad. That said, I doubt that we’ll be able to shift any/many others in January as club’s aren’t exactly beating a path to The Emirates to sign them. So we’ll have to wait until the summer for a big clear out. The benefits that will bring are pretty obvious. First, reducing the inflated wage bill – which was not sustainable pre-Covid – let alone now. Second, to free up squad places for, hopefully, some more of the promising youngsters… Read more »
Isco COULD be a great signing ( like Draxler) but only if his head is in it. That is something only Mikel and Edu can decide. If his attitude seems off then steer well clear. If he is gagging to come and reboot his career then a loan with option to buy carries little risk and potentially a big upside. He was once a fabulous player and is still only 28
Typically when players fall off from a big club (like Alexis Sanchez, Ozil, James, etc) they need someone who can rekindle the fire and give them the confidence. Wise heads like Carlo, Wenger, Klopp who have been there done that can do it. I doubt Mikel is an exciting proposition for Isco. Ceballos took so much convincing…
How’s Ceballos in that category? he’s still a youngish player who’s trying to make it at Madrid but hasn’t yet. There’s no falling off for him because he hasn’t achieved the levels of those others. Doesn’t look like he will either.
I agree that he was/is(?) a very good player but press reports, and my Spanish friends who are Real Madrid fanatics, suggest that he wants a La Liga move in the summer and coming to England on a permanent basis (or on a short-term loan come to that) isn’t likely. However, you never know – it’s all down to what the player feels “at the moment” and, I guess, how persuasive his agent is if it all comes down to money.
We could of course use a creative midfielder, but other than that I think we have were interesting prospects in our current squad and especially in the young players. If we can get Partey up and running, reinvigorate Auba, and have Smith Rowe continue his development, things could develop in an interesting way.
Other than that, I would like to get rid of a number of players: Ozil, mustafi, papa etc
We need a scrapper and a water carrier than a creator honestly. Someone who will protect Saka and Pepe and Auba from being bullied.
I agree about the “prospects”. We need to give the youngsters a good run when/if they are considered ready. I’m really not sure how (or if) we can reinvigorate Auba. He just seems to have lost “it” this season. I hope it’s not his huge, new, contract weighing him down. That said, he could just click a mental switch and be back to his old (usual) form. We’ll see. I also think the vast majority of us would like to ditch a number of players – we all know who they are by now – but there just isn’t the… Read more »
Loans are a waste of time. I’m not sure we’ve had any successful January loans to be honest
TH12 in Jan 12?
King coming back from exile isn’t a loan.
Kim Kallström!!
A lot of the quote from Arteta sounds sensible. My big concern however, is that to me there is too much emphasis on the “past”. Whilst experience and being familiar with the league is important, to me the potential of a player is more important. Sadly, although there have been exceptions, a lot of recent signings have been of players with lots of experience and an excellent past, but that are now past there best. Willian an experienced player from a neighbouring club and Martinelli a young unknown player illustrate this perfectly. I do of course appreciate however, that it… Read more »
I think there is too much emphasis placed on finding players from abroad as opposed to picking up players (of whatever nationality) from Championship. Let’s find the next Vardy, Ian Wright, Gomez, Robertson, Maddison
Yeah, because the signings of “Premier League ready” players like Cedric and Willian have worked out so well – but hey, at least they speak the language, unlike that bust Gabriel.
Willian is a brazilian international who helped Chelsea win the league a couple of seasons ago. How do Edu and Arteta know he will lose form? Even Auba who was scoring goals for fun had been one of the worst striker in the league in 2020.
He’s 32. He signed a three year contract.
How did they NOT expect him to lose form?
Sure, he seems to have lost form much earlier than anticipated, but it was all but certain that it would happen eventually.
Jorginho incoming!
On a ten year deal, £450k a week.
You mean the IS a plan???
“there IS”
If I was KSE I will not fund any money in this window… Simple.
At the beginning of the season, the squad he has is more than capable of fighting for Top 4… but Arteta’s incompetent management, the job being too big for him ( Rookie ).has put us in this situation..
Nothing else !!!!
But you all Arteta fan boys, stick with your man, trust the process!!!
I agree Arteta has done badly.
However, if you think this squad is anywhere close to top four, you haven’t been watching the same team these past three seasons.
The reason we struggled for top four in Wenger’s last season was incompetence from Mustafi and Co.
The reason we struggled during Emery’s time was the same reason as above, coupled with the loss of Ramsey, who still hasn’t been replaced.
The reason we’re struggling now is that Arteta chose to ostracise Ozil and revert to LEGO ball (passing backwards and sideways in a never ending horse shoe and hoofing crosses to a striker who likes through balls from a decent Number 10.
You can count on Ozil to disappoint you if he gets back in the team. That’s how the man is.
And you can count on Arteta not to pick him.
Bottom half of the table, our worst start for 40 years.
Still, that’s how the man is.
Nope. Proved you wrong last time and would do so again
i had Arteta fan boys telling me to trust the process on twitter. Not one of them could actually explain the “process”
None of the mooted targets (Isco, Aouar) really score many goals from midfield. Therefore I would prefer another solid player that has energy in the Partey mould and leave the way clear for Smith-Rowe in the more advanced role.
That would allow more freedom in the front four.
Yes, I agree. It looks like we’ve cooled our interest in Aouar anyway and Isco probably won’t come on loan. Money is very tight though so I’m not sure who we’d be able to get.
Runarsson
Cedric Luiz xhaka Mari
Chambers ceballos
Auba Ozil AMN
EDDIE
If you could, I would go for that minus Mari and AMN.
Unlikely we’ll ever see that particular combination – this side of Armageddon at least.
Arsenal really have to sort out Saliba. His treatment has been appalling and unforgivable in not completing paperwork for his loan back in September.
Personally I would play him in a season where we don’t have a lot to play for anyway. That way he might be ready for top level football next season.
He appears to have been treated very poorly – quite unprofessionally which is (generally) unusual for Arsenal – although we’re no longer considered to be the “gold standard” that we used to be in these matters. As if money wasn’t very tight, I don’t see how we can ignore a player that cost a reported £27 million. There are press reports today that he wants to leave permanently in this window and you can’t really blame him.
Another Arteta and Edu cock up.
We have the opportunity to build something very special over the next few years.
Balogun
Martinelli
Saka
ESR
Nelson
Azeez
AMN
Tierney
Holding
Thats an incredible amount of young talent with plenty more I haven’t mentioned. Our strategy should be to recruit/retain an experienced spine to plug the gaps and allow these players to flourish
Why is Arteta not fielding Saliba?. Just oook at how Fofana is playing at Leicester, and they were teammates.